Bulgaria: Numerous dead in bus accident

At least 46 people – including children – were killed in a bus accident on a highway near the Bulgarian capital Sofia that night. The bus was on its way to North Macedonia.

According to a report by the official BTA news agency, at least 46 people were killed in a serious bus accident in Bulgaria.

The accident occurred on Tuesday night on the Struma motorway about 40 kilometers south of the capital Sofia, as BTA reported, citing the Ministry of the Interior. Children are also among the victims. Several injured were taken to a hospital in Sofia.

Few survivors

According to the report, the bus had rammed a guardrail shortly after 2 a.m. (3 a.m. CET) for reasons that remained unexplained and then rolled over. According to initial findings, there were so few survivors because the bus was on fire. It was initially unclear whether he had caught fire before the accident or if he rolled over and then went up in flames. A total of around 50 passengers and two drivers were on the bus, reported the state radio with reference to the police.

According to the report, the victims are mainly Albanians. According to the BTA, the bus was registered in Skopje, came to Bulgaria from Turkey and was on its way to North Macedonia.

Prosecutor determined

The attorney general’s office started an investigation into the cause of the accident. Bulgaria’s interim Prime Minister Stefan Janew contacted the North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev by phone. Janew also wanted to go to the scene of the accident.